Engine-starter mechanism.



H. R. SIEVERKROPP.

ENGINE STARTER MEEHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- am 1914- Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

HENRY BQSIEVEBKROPP, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN.

ENGINE-STARTER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. so, ieis Application filed December 30, 1914. Serial No.879,663.

To all whom it may concern. 2

Be it known that I, HENRY R. SEVER- KRoPr, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of\Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEngine-Starter Mechanism; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple economical andpositively actuated engine starter mechanism embodying a back firerelease clutch, particularly designed for application to gas enginestarters of the pull type.

\Vith the above object in view the invention consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of mechanical elements asset forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings andsubsequently claimed.

in the drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of an'engine startermechanism equipped with a clutch embodying the features of my invention,with parts broken away and in section as indicated by lines 1-1 of Figs-2 and 3; Fig-2, a detailed sectional view of the same, the section beingindicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of theassociated arrows; Fig. 3, another sectional view, the section beingindicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 1, still another detailedsectional view, the same being indicated by the ling, H looking in thedirection of the arrows associated with said numerals.

Referring by characters to the drawings, A represents a gas enginediagrammatically expressed and B- a clutch head fast upon the engineshaft carrying a driving sprocket C. Motion is imparted to the drivingsprocket from a second sprocket 1 which is fixed upon a counter-shaft 2,the same being mounted in journals 2 of a bracket 3, which bracket issecured to a web or foot 4 that projects from the engine base. The shaft2 is arranged to be normally rotated in the direction of the arrow,whereby a cranking movement is imparted to the engine shaft. Secured tothe shaft 2 is a ratchet wheel 5, the hub of which ratchet wheel hasloosely mounted thereon a collar 6 having peripheral ratchet teeth 6,the inclined faces of which are positioned in the same direction as thenormal position of the shaft 2. These teeth are controlled by aspring-controlled dog 7, which dog is mounted upon the bracket 3, asbest shown in Fig. 1. The

collar 6 is also provided with ,,a series of tongues 8 which projectinwardly from one side face of said collar and mounted upon theperiphery of the collar in abutting engagement with one side of theteeth 6 is an connection between the disk and collar per-- mits relativemovement of these parts, whereby the disk tongues 8 will have a shuttermovement with relation to the collar tongues to partly close up the gapsbetween the latter.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 2 is a gear-wheel 10 of the beveled toothtype having a hollow hub 10 which overhangs the teeth of the ratchetwheel 5 and carries a pair of spring-controlled pivotal dogs 11, thenoses of which dogs! extend between the contemporary tongues and engagethe teeth of said ratchet-wheel, whereby the gear-wheel 10 is locked tothe shaft when said gear wheel is rotated in its normal direction, asindicated by the arrows.

Motion is imparted to the gear-wheel 10 by a similar beveled gear-wheel12 which is fast upon an arbor 13 that is journaled in a bearing 13forming part of the bracket 3. The outer end of the arbor has securedthereto a spring drum 14 having one end of a. cable or runner 15 securedthereto, whereby rotation of the drum is effected in one direction inopposition to a coiled spring 15, which connects the drum and bracket.Thus when the drum is rotated in one direction it winds the spring and,when released, said spring will reverse the rotation of said drum andits arbor whereby the parts return to their normal position of restafter a starting operation.

From the foregoing description it will be manifest that when motion isimparted to the shaft 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow throughthe connection of the ratchet-wheel 5 and gear-wheel 10, it isunderstood that the disk 9, owing to its spline connection with thecollar, will also revolve the ratchet teeth.

matically uncoupled from its driving con-- and maintain its tongues inalinement with those of said collar, whereby all of said parts willrevolve with the shaft and the motion imparted thereto will betransmitted to the crank-shaft of the engine to cause a startingoperation. Should back-fire occur whereby the direction of rotation ofthe shaft tends to reverse, it is obvious that the collar 6 will be heldagainst movement by its dog 7. The reverse movement upon the shaft will"be-momentarily transferred from the ratchet} wheel 5 to the hub of thegearwheel 10 through the dogs 11 and, this back movement of the dogswill cause them to recede from engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel 5 due to the fact that the tongues 8 and 8 will have a cammingaction to lift said dogs as they travel in a reverse direction. Hencewhen this movement takes place there is a slight oscillatory movementbetween the disk 9 and collar, whereby the gaps between the tongues 8are partly closed by the tongues 8 to prevent the nose portions of thesets of dogs 11 from dropping back into engagement with Thus the shaft 2is autonection with the arbor 13, whereby the backfire movement will notbe imparted to the mechanism to cause breakage or damage thereto.

1 claim:

1. In an engine-starter mechanism, a shaft, means for driving the samein one direction, a ratchet-wheel fast upon said shaft, a gear-wheelloosely mounted on the shaft, one or more dogs carried by the gearwheelengageable with the ratchet-Wheel, a, Collar revoluble about the shaft,an oscillatory disk mounted upon the collar, means for limiting movementof the disk relative to said collar, normally registered tonguesprojecting from one face of the collar and disk for engagement with thedogs following a reverse movement of the shaft, and means for lockingthe collar against such reverse movement.

2. In an engine-starter mechanism, a shaft, means for driving the samein one direction, a. ratchet-wheel fast upon said shaft, a gear-wheelloosely mounted on the shaft, one or more dogs carried by the gearwheelengageable with the ratchet-wheel, a collar revoluble about the shaft,an oscillatory disk mounted upon the collar, means for limiting movementof the disk relative to said collar, tongues projecting from one face ofthe disk between the body of the dogs and ratchet-wheel for engagementwith the body of said dogs when a reverse movement of the shaft is had,ratchet-teeth carried by the collar, and a fixed dog for holding thecollar against movement in a reverse direction from the normal directionof rotation of the shaft. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atRacine, in the county of Racine and State of lVisconsin, in the presenceof two Witnesses.

HENRY R. SIEVERKROPP.

Witnesses:

H. N. BACON, Trros. ALLEN.

